Happy holidays to one and all!  We’re having a brown, but mild,
Christmas this year.

As 2004 winds down, we try to remember the highlights (and
forget, or at least learn from, the low points).

The year’s highlights included travel.  We spent two weeks in the Palm Springs area at the
end of February.  We’ve been
there so many times that it really feels like home.  This year we visited Joshua Tree National
Monument for the first time.  The
Joshua trees are unique, and the rock formations are magnets for rock climbers.
We also revisited old favorites – The Living Desert (the latest addition
was Giraffic Park)
and Palm Springs Desert Museum.  (You can see highlights of Joshua Tree
and The Living Desert on our website).

Fourth of July weekend we spent in Laguna Niguel and Marina
del Rey.  We had lunch with friends
at Dana Point
Harbor, visited Santa Monica, including the famous pier, and
dropped in at Universal Studios.  We
were able to see many fireworks displays from our hotel, including a display
right in the marina.

We maintained our reputation for bringing bad weather to California – it rained while we were in the desert
and the “June gloom” was still hanging on the coast at the
beginning of July (we could see Santa Catalina
from the hotel terrace the day we arrived, but never saw it again!) – and
for being present for “breaking news” – the morning we left
LA a small plane crashed into a house in Seal Beach, resulting in live news
coverage (just like the bank robbery and the collapse of the property in La
Jolla that occurred during previous visits).

We spent our 35th anniversary in Albuquerque (again,
bringing rain and cool weather).  It
was a fun weekend. We wandered through Old
Town (bought matching rings –
turquoise and sterling silver, of course) and drove out to Sky City
(the Acoma pueblo).  Mostly we just relaxed.  You can see us in our Southwestern hats
(purchased for sun protection before the rains came) on our website.  Perhaps the most intriguing part of the
trip was being selected for full search on both outgoing and return
flights.  The airline apparently
thought we were suspect because we were changing planes, though that airline
did not have a direct flight to Albuquerque from
Minneapolis.  Oddly, it seems to take less time to get
through security when “selected for search” than when going through
in the regular line.

Deanne celebrated
the 40th anniversary of her college graduation in October.  Four of her  best friends from college came to town,
and they had a private reunion and participated in the official one.  It was a gorgeous fall weekend, made for
spending time outdoors (like wandering on the campus and shopping on St. Paul’s Grand Avenue).  Also, the mother of Deanne’s college roommate (Julie) was given a
distinguished alumni award.  Julie
was in town for the event, and Deanne
and Julie were able to spend an evening together.

Our remodeling project, begun more than two years ago, is
essentially finished.  In addition
to our original plans, we replaced our driveway and sidewalk and redid the
adjacent landscaping.  We are
enjoying the new look, both inside and out.  As we’d rearranged our living room
furniture, we needed to put the Christmas tree in a different spot, a fun decorating
challenge.  Interesting process,
remodeling – the actual time spent performing the work was less than two
months, but the project took more than two years to complete.

Our health has been generally good.  John had some minor surgery in July that
produced mostly inconvenience.
Although there was little pain, the healing process took much longer
than anticipated.  And we experience
all the aches and pains that seem to come with maturing.  Our warranties are expiring!!

We’re both in our same jobs.  We think about retirement, still
contemplating possible relocation to a warmer climate.  We usually spend time when we’re
traveling looking at housing developments and checking out the opportunities
offered by various communities.  It’s
both fun and daunting to think about changing location and starting a new phase
of life.  Unfortunately, the dearth
of blue states with warm winters may have reduced our universe of choices.   Maybe there are advantages to
staying in Minnesota.

What’s in store in 2005?  Mostly more of the same.  We’re going to Las
Vegas in January, Orlando in March, and Phoenix in November.  Deanne
hopes to have another reunion with her college friends in northern Minnesota in August, and
both of us hope to get in more golf next summer.  Deanne
will be president of Ordway Circle
of Stars, a volunteer and fund-raising organization for Ordway
Center for the Performing Arts in Saint Paul.  (You can see the article about her on
our website and more about Ordway at www.ordway.org.)  The major event for the group is the
Backstage Ball, a gala fundraiser held every fall.  Much fun, but also much work.  The 2005 Ball is on October 1, and
we’d love to see you all there.

We hope that this greeting finds you well and that the new
year brings you good times, good friends, and good health.  We also hope for a world of greater
peace and tolerance.

All the best,

Deanne and John